


Accept The Things I Cannot Change

by TT_Angst_Queen



Series: New Beginnings [5]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alcoholics Anonymous, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s15e01 House Divided, M/M, Post-Paraguay, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 21:45:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13667901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TT_Angst_Queen/pseuds/TT_Angst_Queen
Summary: While Tony waits for Reeves, He does some thinking, and when the man arrives, he finally meets the man who helped his lover, and they have a talk with Gibbs.





	Accept The Things I Cannot Change

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vt_girl1701](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vt_girl1701/gifts).



While Tony waited for Reeves to arrive at his door, or Clayton, as the man told him to call him, Tony sat and stared at the passed out man on his couch.

 

He had already taken Tali to his neighbor, Betty, an 64 year old grandmother that just adored the little girl. Tony trusted the old woman with Tali, and Tali adored Betty back. Tony didn't want Tali to see her  _ Papa _ this way, and he certainly didn't want to have to have the stress of working around his daughter while he helped his lover. He loved Tali, but right now, she was fine, but his lover was not. Jethro took priority right now, and as long as Tali was safe and happy with Betty, it would stay that way.

 

Getting up with a groan from his position on the armchair staring at Jethro, Tony ambled to the Kitchen. 

Getting a glass out of the cupboard, he filled it with the filtered water from the fridge that his daughter had found great amusement with. Placing the water down on the granite countertop, Tony kept an ear out for the sound of a knock on the door, but only heard Jethro's drunken snores. Opening the medicine cupboard, he searched around for the Aspirin, before grabbing the bottle, slightly deformed from its encounter with Tali's efforts to help him with the shopping, and took two out of the bottle and put them beside the water.

 

Putting away the pill bottle, Tony used both his hand to brace himself against the counter before bowing his head, his eyes tightly closed. 

 

“Dammit, Jet…” Tony ground out between his teeth. 

 

The last few hours, hell, judging by the time, the last  _ day _ , had been hell. Between listening to Tims recollection of events during the two men's capture and captivity, and finding Jethro relapsing outside his office door and calling Reeves and listening to the man's concern, well… it had been hell.

 

Reeves had sounded concerned, but a bit ticked. Tony couldn't blame the man; Jethro had relapsed in his care, without him noticing, which Tony wondered how it was possible that Jethro even got the Whiskey into the house without Tony noticing. 

 

Reeves was Jethro's sponsor, and had helped his lover begin to recover from the terrible disease of alcoholism. 

 

And in one night, all that work was rushed down the toilet because he hadn't paid enough attention.

 

A sudden quiet, but urgent knock on the door shook him out of his thoughts, and he went to answer it.

 

Opening the door, he got his first look at Agent Reeves that wasn't from a photo. 

 

The man looked worried, and upset, and his eyes were filled with concern.

 

Reaching a hand forward, Tony introduced himself.

 

“You must be Clayton, I'm Tony DiNozzo,” Reeves shook his hand, and looked at him with a kind but impatient smile.

 

“Nice to meet you, mate. Good to put a face to the name, but could you please take me to Gibbs?” 

 

Tony nodded, and motioned for Reeves to follow him and closed the door when the man entered.

 

“He's on the couch, I moved him to it after he threw up and passed out on me, then I called you and cleaned up.”  Reeves nodded, and when the reached the living room, he almost jogged to get to Jethro's side and knelt beside him on the couch.

 

Tony felt a surge of jealousy when he saw Reeves rub Jethro's shoulder, but pushed it down, reminding himself that Jethro loved him, and Reeves was a concerned friend and sponsor; Tony had nothing to worry about.

 

“How much did he drink?” 

 

Tony sighed, and took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.

 

“Half a bottle of whiskey, and no, I don't know how he got it, I stopped drinking when my daughter was around and stopped entirely when Gibbs told me he was in the program; I don't keep alcohol in the house anymore.”  

 

“So somehow he got it without you noticing?” Even though Reeves’ voice held no accusation, Tony still felt defensive, sensitive to the fact that Jethro was able to get the bottle right under his nose.

 

“Look,” Tony grit out, “I get it; I screwed up. I should have kept a closer eye on him, maybe seen something that told me he was gonna relapse, or taken more precaution when I called Tim. I should have paid more attention, but I also have a five year old daughter that I'm raising, along with trying to take care of Jethro, and I can't be in to places at once!”  

 

Reeves had let him rant, and just sat there and took it stoically. 

 

“You done?” He asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. There was something so  _ Gibbs _ in the words and expression that Tony couldn't help but chuckle.

 

“God, you sound like Gibbs. But yeah,” Tony admitted, “I'm done.” 

 

Nodding Reeves got up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Look, mate, this isn't your fault,” when Tony when to open his mouth to protest, Reeves shot him a glare, not Gibbs level, but close enough. “It’s really not. The thing about alcoholics, is that when we really want to drink without anyone noticing, we can and will find a way. We can be sneaky. And Gibbs is already the sneakiest man I've ever met. If the man didn't want you to catch him, you bloody well wouldn't, got me?” Tony nodded, and a bit of the guilt that he had carried left his shoulders. 

 

“So what do we do now?” Tony asked, and Reeves sighed.

 

Well, when he wakes up, I can tell you one thing, you won't need that Aspirin,” at Tony's raised eyebrow, Reeves shrugged. “Hate to tell you mate, but after you left, Gibbs’ drinking got to the point where he no longer woke with a hangover. You get used to the alcohol, and then you don't get hungover… it was hard to convince Gibbs’ to come to a meeting. But I'm glad I did.”

 

“And that's another thing,” Tony crossed his arms, brows furrowed. “You're his sponsor, but you call him Gibbs? Why not Jethro?” 

 

Reeves laughed, and shook his head.

 

“Gibbs is still my Boss, mate. Wouldn't feel right. And besides,” Reeves added ruefully, “I didn't want to be his sponsor, since I'm barely over a year sober myself, and It's not against regs, but it's unusual to have someone who only had a year sobriety to sponsor someone. But Gibbs refused to have anyone but me, said he didn't trust anyone else with the job.”

 

Tony was impressed; Gibbs clearly trusted this man alot, and Tony felt himself doing the same. If Jethro trusted this man to keep him sober, then he clearly was a good man.

 

“Fuck,” the curse made them turn around, and look at the now awake man on the couch, who looked at them both with guilty eyes.

 

“You're bloody lucky you had enough sense to get DiNozzo to call me, Gibbs.” Reeves scolded Jethro, and Tony waited for Gibbs reaction, and wasn't surprised to to the man pale and hang his head. The old Gibbs would have gotten defensive and angry.

 

But Tony was beginning to realise that the old Gibbs might not come back, and he would have to accept that, because he couldn't change it.

 

“I know, Reeves,” Gibbs whispered, “it was just… too much. Everything just crashed down and I… snuck out when Tony started talking to Tim and went to the liquor store on the corner. Came back, only planned to look at it, maybe just have a sip, but…” 

 

“Then you heard me and Tim talking on FaceTime.” Tony sighed, and Gibbs nodded.

 

“Yeah, and it was just… to much. I honestly only meant to have a sip but-” 

 

“Gibbs, you're an alcoholic,” Reeves snapped, “you can never have  _ 'just a sip’ _ . The disease doesn't allow that, and you knew that full well.” 

 

Gibbs frowned, almost pouted. 

 

“but-”

 

“ _ Contiued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. _ ” Reeves quoted, glaring at Gibbs. “Step ten mate. Don't make excuses for your actions, you chose to buy the bloody drink, and you chose to remove the cap and relapse. You chose not to call your sponsor and instead drink in a house with a little girl who's never seen an alcoholic in full form before, and your bloody lucky that this man loves you so much,” Reeves pointed to a now blushing Tony, and Gibbs looked at the man with shame. 

 

“If you did this to me, and I had a little girl to care for, you'd be out on your arse.”

 

Gibbs looked away, sniffing, and the tears spilt over again, hands trembling.

 

“I know, I'm sorry… I didn't want to deal with the emotions it was bringing up, so I wanted something to numb it and I- I was an idiot,” Jethro admitted. Looking at Tony with wide eyes, his lips trembled. “And I could have scared Tali. I'm sorry Tony, there's no excuse. Can you- can you ever forgive me?” 

 

Letting out a breath, Tony nodded.

 

“I already forgive you, Jet. But I'm not gonna’ forget.” 

 

Jethro nodded, and reached with his arms, and Tony obliged, drawing the older man into a hug.

 

“I love you, Jethro,” Tony whispered in the man's ear, rubbing his back. “We'll get through this.”

 

Nodding into his shoulder, Gibbs sniffed.

 

“Love you too, Tony.”

 

It would be a long road to recovery, in both his Drinking and his emotional and physical health.

 

But Tony would be there, for all of it.

  
  



End file.
